On Monday (1st April), a video of a Hindu woman went viral on social media wherein she accused local goons of destroying her temple and forcibly occupying her land in cahoots with the local police.
The victim was identified as Durga Roy, a resident of Shantineketan in Bolpur town in the Birbhum district of West Bengal. While speaking to reporters, she said, “They vandalised my temple and thrashed me in front of police. Later, the police arrested me.:
“I was recording the incident but they took away my phone and deleted all the evidence. The cops then put me in jail,” she informed.
Anti hindu TMC
— ᴅᴇʙᴀᴊɪᴛ ꜱᴀʀᴋᴀʀ🇮🇳 (@debajits3110) April 1, 2024
"Trinamool councilors have demolished Hindu temples with the help of police "
My temple was vandalized by Trinamool councilor with the help of police and when I recorded the video, the police took me to the station and beat me up and deleted my videos. This is… pic.twitter.com/sFNnX6XSYj
“When I was released from jail in the evening, I found out that the temple had been destroyed. They had also begun illegal construction in a manner that the foundation of my boundary wall would collapse,” Durga Roy narrated.
She has accused one Sheikh Hasan and local TMC councillor Chandan Mondal of aiding in the temple demolition.
“TMC councillor of Ward No.2 Chandan Mondal is also on it. They are conspiring to occupy my temple land. I have filed complaints with the SP, and Women’s Commission but nothing has happened so far,” the victim informed.
Police thrashed Durga Roy, victim living in fear
“The one who was roped in to destroy my temple is Sheikh Hasan. I told them that the matter is sub-judice but they did not listen to me. Instead, I was rounded up in jail and beaten mercilessly,” the woman said.
“The cops at Shantineketan police station abused me with the choicest of expletives. I am living in a state of constant fear. Unknown people are frequently visiting the area and calling me names,” she further added.
Durga Roy continued, “I am now restricted to the house and cannot step outside. I want justice. I will accept the verdict of the Judiciary. Why should the police beat me? I am a single mother raising my two kids.”
Cops aiding local influential man to encroach upon my property: Durga Roy
“The cops could have talked to me about it if there was any illegal encroachment. I would have agreed to them. But there was no notice. The police were not even ready to listen to me,” she was heard saying.
As per a report by ETV Bangla, Durga Roy has complained to the police superintendent that a local influential man named Debabrata Chowdhury is trying to occupy her land by flouting the orders of the court.
In her complaint, she reportedly said that the police were aiding Chowdhury to encroach upon her property. In his defence, Debabrata Chowdhury told ETV Bangla, “I have taken possession of my land. I have not taken even an inch of anyone’s land. All allegations against me are false.”
Turmoil in Sandeshkhali
The unrest in Sandeshkhali village in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal brought into focus the atrocities committed against women by former Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Sheikh Shahjahan and his aides Shibu Prasad Hazra and Uttam Sardar.
Multiple women have come forward to narrate instances of land grabbing, and sexual violence perpetrated against them by the trio. Forced by circumstances, they took matters into their own hands and gheraoed the police station.
The agitation led by women eventually led to the arrest of the 3 TMC goons. OpIndia had previously reported how the Trinamool Congress, led by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, have left no stone unturned to trivialise the sexual violence committed against women in Sandeshkhali.
Besides Mamata Banerjee, TMC MLA Udayan Guha also attempted to downplay the sexual exploitation of women in Sandeshkhali as ‘eating pie (Pitha khaowa)’ and ‘mischief (Dushtami)’ on 29th February.
TMC spokesperson Jui Biswas also sought to deny sexual violence in Sandeshkhali by demanding ‘video footage of rapes’ as proof. Journalist’ Sagarika Ghose, who was recently rewarded with a Rajya Sabha seat by the TMC, also trivialised the raging unrest in Sandeshkhali village as a ‘local land dispute.’
TMC Minister Partha Bhowmick had earlier tried to dismiss accusations of sexual violence by women of Sandeshkhali village as ‘fake.’ On 10th March, the actress turned TMC candidate from Hooghly, Rachna Banerjee, was seen casting aspersions on the sexual violence faced by women in Sandeshkhali.
Recently, a video of Kolkata Mayor and Trinamool Congress MLA Firham Hakim doing whataboutery on the plight of women of Sandeshkhali village had surfaced on social media. While mocking the ordeal of women, he said, “Now, you know that one ‘khali’ is grabbing all headlines. What ‘Khali’? Ah, Sandeshkhali. It is everywhere.”
